The Movies I Watched in July

Abandoned 1949  6/10

Anna 2019  6/10 

Armored Car Robbery 1950  6/10

Backfire 1950  6/10

The Big Steal 1949 6/10 

Border Incident 1949  6/10

Caged 1950  7/10

The Crooked Way 1949  6/10

The Damned Don't Cry 1950  7/10

 

The Driller Killer 1979  6/10 

The File on Thelma Jordon 1949  6/10

Follow Me Quietly 1949  6/10 

Frasier 2023  6/10 

House of the Dragon 2022  6/10

I Come With the Rain 2009  6/10

Kaibutsu 2023  7/10

Kynodontas 2009  6/10 

A Lady Without Passport 1950  6/10

MaXXXine 2024  7/10

 

 

May December 2023  7/10

 

 

No Man of Her Own 1950  7/10

 

Panic in the Streets 1950  6/10

 

Red Light 1949  6/10

 

Roter Himmel 2023  7/10 

 

Scene of the Crime 1949  6/10

 

Side Street 1949  7/10 

 

The Secret Fury 1950  7/10 

 

Tension 1949  7/10 

Thieves's Highway 1949  6/10

The Tourist 2022  7/10

The Underworld Story 1950  6/10 

Union Station 1950  6/10

Whirlpool 1950  6/10

The Window 1949  7/10

The Woman on Pier 13 1949  6/10

The Man with the Golden Arm (1955)

A strung-out junkie deals with daily demoralizing drug addiction while crippled wife and card sharks continue to pull him down.

At the time a groudbreaking an realistic depiction of addiction the movie still fascinates due to excellent performances, professional direction and great b/w photography.

Halliwell*: "Sensational on its first release, with its cold turkey scenes, this now seems a muddled impressionist melodrama with echoes of the silent German cinema and much over-acting and miscasting all round. But Sinatra is good; and it is different..."

Maltin***: "...Sinatra's performance is still provocative, especially in the actor's gets-the-shakes withdrawal scene. Otherwise, the film (which appears to have been shot on the cheap) has lost some, though hardly all, of its power."



 

Where the Sidewalk Ends (1950)

A detective wants to be something his old man wasn't: a guy on the right side of the law, but his vicious nature will get the better of him.

Above-average Noir drama with superb b/w photography and a great lead performance.

Halliwell (no stars): "Gloomy policier with curious moral values."

Maltin ***: "Moody crime melodrama is a good illustration of film noir. Fine characterizations, pungent script by Ben Hecht from William Stuart's novel Night Cry."

The Human Factor (1979)

The directors of the British foreign intelligence service MI6 have determined that a double agent in the organization is supplying information to the Soviets and terminate the wrong guy.

Despite top-notch casting, a famous director and some production value this is a bleak and somnambulary adaptation of a Graham Greene novel.

Anatomy of a Murder (1959)

In a murder trial, the defendant says he suffered temporary insanity after the victim raped his wife.

I've watched this classic quite a few times by now and it's still enjoyable. Some say it's overlong, but I really like the way it takes its time to tell the story. And for a change the happy ending is not really so happy or unambiguous.

Fallen Angel (1945)

Although this is not a masterpiece like Laura - the plot is a bit too simplistic - it is wonderfully photographed in the classic Noir mood and the movie is populated by a cast of uncomfortable characters.